‘Blood Whispers’ John Gordon Sinclair

Published by Faber & Faber,
5 June 2014.
ISBN: 978-0571283903

Prostitute Kaltrina has escaped from her violent controller, the Serbian gang-leader Abazi. Now her lawyer, Keira Lynch, is the only one she can trust ... but Keira has secrets of her own.

This fast-moving thriller draws you in straight away. It’s told in the third person, with Keira Lynch as the key protagonist, but we aslo see episodes with Kaltrina, Abazi, Lynch’s informant Jay-Go, the CIA men driving events, and their hired hit-man, ‘The Watcher’. The body count is high, with several nasty episodes, and the short sections raced the story along. Lynch is a sympathetic heroine, outwardly a successful lawyer, but in reality still struggling to come to terms with a key incident from her childhood. The author’s native Glasgow is a  strong presence in the novel, and there was evocative description of other parts of Scotland. I loved the way he caught the nuances of how people speak: middle-class lawyers, CIA toughs, Glasgow petty drug-dealers.

A violent, high-octane page turner with a sympathetic lead character and a satisfying resolution.

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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor

John Gordon Sinclair  was born in Glasgow , Scotland. He moved to London in the early 1980’s. A starring role in the iconic 1980s movie Gregory’s Girl set John Gordon Sinclair on course for a successful acting career. His frist novel was publish in 2012. He is now happy as a crime writer and lives in Surrey with his wife and their two children..

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  Marsali also does a regular monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.